IAF Strike Eliminates Terrorist Riding on Motorcycle

The IAF took out an Islamic Jihad terrorist in a drone strike while he was driving by motorcycle in Gaza on Wednesday, as Operation Protective Edge continues its crackdown on the terrorist enclave that has been showering Israel in missiles.

IDF reports listed the man as being Abdullah Difalla, a terrorist responsible for firing rockets on Israeli civilian populations. It added that a direct hit was recorded on the motorcycle as he drove in Beit Lahiya, in the northern part of Gaza.

Difalla, who hails from Gaza's Beit Hanoun, was responsible for the Islamic Jihad rocket fire from the town, reports Mako. The news site added that two others were wounded, apparently critically, in the airstrike that killed Difalla.

Conflicting reports were released by Gaza's Kamal Odwan Hospital, whose personnel told AFP that the name of the person killed in the drone strike was Rafiq al-Kafarneh (30), and that another person was seriously wounded in the strike. The two reportedly were brought to the hospital after the strike.

The IDF struck 160 terror targets on Tuesday night in Gaza, bringing the total to 434 targets hit since the operation began Monday night.

Although most of the strikes have focused on Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip and is directly responsible for most of the current rocket fire, other terrorist groups who have taken part in the attacks on Israeli civilians have also been targeted. One strike Tuesday night took out a “senior commander” in Islamic Jihad. The terrorist was identified as Hafaz Hamad, a leader figure behind the Iranian-backed group's own rocket attacks.

The constant rocket fire from Gaza, which has severely escalated in recent weeks, continued to rise as roughly 120 rockets were fired over Tuesday alone, with five rockets being shot down over Tel Aviv by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system on Wednesday morning.

Alate night salvo of rockets on Tuesday hit Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and as far as Hadera, which is located 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Tel Aviv.

An IDF source said the missile that hit Hadera was likely of the long-range M302 model, which has been smuggled into Gaza by Iran. According to official estimates, there are several dozen long range missiles of this type still in Gaza.

Samples of the long-range rocket were captured in Marchby the IDF as they were being smuggled on the Klos C ship from Iran to Gaza, apparently via Sudan. The rockets have a range of 200 kilometers (125 miles).